How to Tell If Your Skis Need Waxing
The quickest way to tell if your skis need waxing is to look at the base. If the colour has gone pale and chalky, it feels rough under your hand and there's no shine to it, they're overdue. On the snow, the giveaway is skis that feel sticky or grippy when they should be gliding.
I'm Alex, founder of Ski Service London. I learned to work on skis as a technician's assistant during a season in New Zealand, and I've skied my whole life. Since 2019, our team has serviced more than 2,000 pairs of skis and snowboards across London, all by hand. Here's what we look for, how often you should actually be waxing, and the mistakes we see people make every winter.
5 signs your skis need waxing
When a pair comes through our door, we can usually tell within seconds whether it's overdue. You can learn to spot the same things.
1. The base colour has faded
This is the big one. A dried-out base loses its depth of colour and turns pale and washed out. It's most obvious on black bases, which go a sort of tired grey. Once fresh wax goes on, the black is properly black again. The same goes for every other colour.
2. It feels rough or dry to the touch
Run your hand down the base. A well-waxed ski feels smooth and slightly slick. A ski that needs attention feels dry and a little coarse, a bit like it's been left out in the sun.
3. There's no gloss
A healthy base has a subtle sheen. If it looks matt and flat, both to the eye and the touch, the wax has gone.
4. Your skis feel grippy on the snow
If you're on the mountain and your skis feel like they're clinging to the snow rather than gliding over it, that's your skis asking for help. You'll notice it most on flat sections and cat tracks, where everyone else glides past and you start poling.
5. The base is starting to fray
This is horror story territory. We've had pairs in where you can see little strands of base material starting to peel away. At that point, the microstructure of the base, the tiny pores that hold the wax, has completely gone. The good news is it rarely gets this far if you keep on top of things.
One note on freshly waxed skis: straight after a hand wax, you can sometimes lift a tiny bit of wax with your fingernail. Don't expect to do this after a professional service, though. Scraping off the excess is part of the process, so the wax ends up in the base rather than sitting on top of it.
How often should you wax your skis?
Our rule of thumb is one wax for every week on the snow. That shifts depending on temperature, snow conditions, how hard you ski and how old your skis are.
One week a year in the Alps: once a year, after your trip
Regular skier: once for every week on snow
Keen skier, or chasing speed: every 2 to 3 days
Skiing in warm or slushy conditions: every 2 to 3 days
UK dry slope skier: every 2 to 3 sessions, roughly 2 to 3 hours
A few things are worth knowing:
Older skis need it more often. As a base ages, it holds wax less well, so a newer ski can go a bit longer between services.
Warm snow strips wax faster. Spring slush is wet and abrasive, so it's worth topping up more frequently.
Dry slopes are hard on bases. If you train at a UK dry slope, those few hours add up quickly.
Our tip for the once-a-year skier
Get your skis waxed after your trip, not before the next one. That way they sit in the attic or garage all summer with a protective layer of wax on them, rather than drying out. We can also leave the wax on so it overlaps the metal edges, which helps stop them oxidising while they're in storage. Come December, you just scrape and go.
While we're on storage: if your skis go back in the garage damp, you'll find rust on the edges by next season. That's a separate problem to waxing, and a much less fun one. Dry them thoroughly and keep them somewhere dry.
Can you check or wax your skis at home?
Honestly, there's no clever test beyond the look and feel above. The rest comes from experience and keeping rough count of how many days you've skied since the last service.
What about rub-on, paste or spray wax?
Save your money. These products don't penetrate the base. In our experience, they're gone within your first couple of hundred metres of skiing, which is an expensive way to make the car park slightly faster. A proper hot wax is melted into the base, so it actually stays where it's needed.
Doing a hot wax yourself
It can be done at home if you have the kit, including a proper waxing iron. But the upfront cost is significant, and the technique matters more than people think. Getting the pressure right, moving the iron at the right pace and not overheating the ski all take practice. Get it wrong and you can damage the base you were trying to protect. Unless you're willing to invest in a proper one-to-one course, we'd always recommend leaving it to a professional.
Why we'd skip the resort service shop
It's tempting to drop your skis at one of the big service centres in resort. It's one of the most common mistakes we see.
Most of these shops run skis through a machine. It's quick, but it grinds a layer of material off the base and the edges before the wax goes on. That has two downsides:
Your edge tuning is lost. Any fine-tuning of your edge angles gets wiped out.
Your skis wear out faster. You're literally losing material every time, which shortens the life of your skis or board.
A hand service takes longer, but it keeps your base and edges intact. If you're getting your skis done elsewhere, look for a technician who clearly says they work by hand. And frankly, the first morning of your holiday is better spent on the mountain than queuing in a rental shop.
When wax isn't enough: scratches, P-tex and base grinds
Wax won't fix everything. Here's how we handle the damage we see on the bench.
Light scratches are usually nothing to worry about. They don't affect performance and will still be visible after a hand service.
Deeper scratches and rock damage do affect how your skis run, so we fill them with P-tex. Our standard full service is £65 and includes up to three minor P-tex repairs.
Major base damage is assessed when you drop your skis off. Larger repairs may cost extra, and we'll always tell you before we start.
Do you need a base grind?
We don't offer base grinds, because they remove a layer of material. They can be worth it if your base is covered in light scratches you want gone, but bear in mind it shortens the life of your skis.
We've also had skis in with so much damage that our honest advice was to take them somewhere that can fill the damage and grind the base in one go. We can do the repairs ourselves and the skis will be fine to ride, but heavy damage can leave some residual roughness. If you'd want a grind afterwards anyway, it makes sense to get it all done in one place.
Why we started Ski Service London
After my season in New Zealand, I came back to London, bought my own skis and quickly discovered what a pain it was to get them serviced before a trip. So I bought the kit and started doing it myself. Then for friends, then for family, then for friends of friends. A website followed, and we've been growing ever since.
These days I've stepped back from the bench, and our work is done by three qualified technicians in Golders Green, Cheam and Willesden Junction. We're all skiers and snowboarders ourselves, and we genuinely love working with our hands.
You've spent good money on your own kit. The last thing you want is to waste the first day of your holiday queuing at a rental shop. Getting Londoners onto the mountain ready to go is what we're here for.
What makes us different
Everything is done by hand. Your skis never go through a machine.
Fast turnaround, including a while-you-wait service. Some of the big chains quote up to three weeks in peak season.
Collection and delivery across London, so you don't even have to leave the house.
How to book
Head to our website and fill in the request form, and we'll get back to you. If you're dropping off in Golders Green or Cheam, you can book directly through our online booking system on our sister site, skizilla.co.uk, which is where we're growing beyond London.
If you take one thing from this post: don't wait until the night before your flight. Look at your bases now, and if they've gone pale, get them booked in.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my skis need waxing?
Look for a pale, faded base, a dry or rough feel, no shine, and skis that feel sticky on the snow. If you can see strands of base material lifting, they're well overdue.
How often should I give me skis or snowboard a full service?
As a rule of thumb, once for every week on the snow. Wax more often in warm conditions, if you ski hard, or if your skis are older. If you ski one week a year, once a year after your trip is enough. See more our full guide on how often to service.
What is included in your ski service?
Our standard full service is £65 and includes waxing (by hand), edge sharpening up to three minor P-tex repairs.
Is rub-on ski wax any good?
Not really. It doesn't penetrate the base and wears off within your first few hundred metres. A proper hot wax lasts far longer.
What wax do you use?
At Ski Service London, we only use the best.... which in our opinion is https://dominatorwax.com/. It's more expensive than your average wax, but it lasts and once you've tried it you'll find it hard to use anything else. If you need condition specific wax, just let us know.
Should I wax my skis before storing them for summer?
Yes. Waxing after your trip protects the base while it's in storage, and leaving wax over the edges helps stop them rusting.
How much does a ski service cost?
Our standard full hand service is £65 and includes up to three minor P-tex repairs. Major base damage is assessed at drop-off.
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